Heat exchange system

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a heat exchange system ( 1 ) having a heat exchange module ( 2, 21, 22 ) including at least one first heat exchange module ( 21 ) with a heat exchanger ( 3 ), wherein an outer boundary of the heat exchange modules ( 2, 21, 22 ) is formed by an inflow surface ( 41 ) and an outflow surface ( 42 ) such that, for the exchange of heat between a transport fluid ( 5 ) and a heat transfer agent ( 6 ) flowing through the heat exchanger ( 3 ) in the operating state, the transport fluid ( 5 ) can be supplied to the heat exchange module ( 2,   21, 22 ) via the inflow surface ( 41 ), can be brought into flow contact with the heat exchanger ( 3 ) and can be led away again from the heat exchange module ( 2 ) via the outflow surface ( 42 ). In accordance with the invention, in this respect, a cleaning system ( 7 ) is provided with a cleaning flap ( 71 ).

The invention relates to a modular heat exchange system having a heatexchange module in accordance with the preamble of independent claim 1.

The use of heat exchange systems is known in a number of applicationsfrom the prior art which can practically not be overseen. Heatexchangers are used in refrigeration systems such as in common domesticrefrigerators, in air-conditioning systems for buildings or in vehiclesof all kinds, in particular in motor vehicles, aircraft and ships, aswater coolers or as oil coolers in combustion engines, as condensers orevaporators in refrigerant circuits and in further innumerable differentapplications which are all well-known to the person of ordinary skill inthe art.

In this respect, there are different possibilities of sensiblyclassifying the heat exchangers from very different applications. Oneattempt is to carry out a distinguishing by the structure or by themanufacture of the different types of heat exchangers.

A division can thus be made in accordance with so-called “finned heatexchangers”, on the one hand, and “minichannel” or “microchannel” heatexchangers, on the other hand.

The finned heat exchangers which have been well-known for a very longtime serve, like all types of heat exchangers, for the transfer of heatbetween two media, e.g., but not only, for the transfer from a coolingmedium to air or vice versa, such as is known, for example, from aclassical domestic refrigerator in which heat is emitted to ambient airvia the heat exchanger for the production of a cooling capacity in theinterior of the refrigerator.

The ambient medium outside the heat exchanger, that is e.g. water, oilor frequently simply the ambient air, which takes up the heat, forexample, or from which heat is transferred to the heat exchanger, iseither cooled or heated accordingly in this process. The second mediumcan e.g. be a liquid cold carrier or heat carrier or an evaporating orcondensing refrigerant. In any case, the ambient medium, that is e.g.the air, has a substantially lower heat transfer coefficient than thesecond medium, that is e.g. the refrigerant, which circulates in theheat exchanger system. This is balanced by highly different heattransfer surfaces for the two media. The medium with the high heattransfer coefficient flows in the pipe which has a very enlarged surfaceat the outer side at which the heat transfer e.g. to the air takes placeby thin metal sheets (ribs, fins).

FIG. 3 shows a simple example of an element of such a finned heatexchanger which is known per se. In practice, the heat exchanger isformed in this respect by a plurality of such elements in accordancewith FIG. 3.

The ratio of the outer surface to the inner surface depends in thisrespect on the fin geometry (=pipe diameter, pipe arrangement and pipespacing) as well as on the fin spacing. The fin spacing is selecteddifferently for different applications. However, it should be as smallas possible from a purely thermodynamic aspect, but not so small thatthe pressure loss on the air side is too large. An efficient optimum isat approximately 2 mm, which is a typical value for the condenser andthe heat exchanger.

The manufacture of these so-called finned heat exchangers takes place inaccordance with a standardized process known for a long time. The finsare stamped using a press and a special tool and are placed in packetswith one another. Subsequently, the pipes are pushed in and expandedeither mechanically or hydraulically so that a very good contact, andthus a good heat transfer, arises between the pipe and the fin. Theindividual pipes are then connected to one another, often soldered toone another, by bends and inlet tanks and outlet tanks.

The efficiency is in this respect substantively determined by the factthat the heat which is transferred between the fin surface and the airhas to be transferred to the pipe via heat conduction through the fins.This heat transfer is the more effective, the higher the conductivity orthe thickness of the fin is, but also the smaller the spacing betweenthe pipes is. One speaks of fin efficiency here. Aluminum is thereforeprimarily used as the fin material today which has a high heatconductivity (approx. 220 W/mK) at economic conditions. The pipe spacingshould be as small as possible; however, this results in the problemthat many pipes are needed. Many pipes mean high costs since the pipes(made from copper as rule) are much more expensive than the thinaluminum fins. These material costs could be reduced in that the pipediameter and the wall thickness are reduced, i.e. a heat exchanger ismade with a number of small pipes instead of with a few larger pipes.This solution would be ideal thermodynamically: Very many pipes at smalldistances with small diameters. A substantial cost factor is, however,also the labor time for the widening and soldering of the pipes. Itwould increase extremely with such a geometry.

A new class of heat exchangers, so-called minichannel or alsomicrochannel heat exchangers, was therefore already developed some yearsago which are manufactured using a completely different process andalmost correspond to the ideal of a finned heat exchanger: many smallpipes at small intervals.

Instead of small pipes, however, extruded aluminum sections are used inthe minichannel heat exchanger which have very small channels with adiameter of e.g. approximately 1 mm. Such an extruded section likewiseknown per se is shown schematically e.g. in FIG. 2. In practice in thisrespect, a heat exchanger can already manage, depending on the requiredheat capacity, with one single extruded section as a central heatexchange element. To be able to achieve higher heat transfer capacities,a plurality of extruded sections can naturally also be providedsimultaneously in one single heat exchanger which are connected to oneanother, e.g. soldered to one another, in suitable combinations, forexample via inlet feeds and outlet feeds.

Such sections can e.g. be manufactured in suitable extrusion processessimply and in a variety of shapes from a plurality of materials.However, other manufacturing processes are also known for themanufacture of minichannel heat exchangers such as the assembly ofsuitably shaped sectional metal sheets or other suitable processes.

These sections cannot, and also do not have to, be widened and they arealso not pushed into stamped fin packets.

Instead, for example, sheet metal strips, in particular aluminum strips,are placed between two sections disposed close to one another (commonspacings, for example, <1 cm) so that a heat exchanger packet arises byalternating placing of sheet metal strips and sections next to oneanother. This packet is then soldered completely in a soldering furnace.

A heat exchanger having a very high fin efficiency and a very smallfilling volume (inner channel side) arises due to the narrow spacingsand the small channel diameters. The further advantages of thistechnique are the avoidance of material pairings (corrosion), the lowweight (no copper), the high pressure stability (approx. 100 bar) aswell as the compact construction shape (typical depth of a heatexchanger e.g. 20 mm).

Minichannel heat exchangers became established in mobile use in thecourse of the 1990s. The low weight, the small block depth as well asthe restricted dimensions required here are the ideal conditions forthis. Automotive radiators as well as condensers and evaporators forautomotive air-conditioning systems are today realized almostexclusively with minichannel heat exchangers.

In the stationary area, larger heat exchangers are usually needed, onthe one hand; on the other hand, the emphasis here is less on the weightand the compact design and more on the ideal price-performance ratio.Minichannel heat exchangers were previously too limited in dimensions tobe considered for this purpose. Many small modules would have had to beconnected to one another in a complex and/or expensive manner. Inaddition, the use of aluminum is relatively high in the extrudedsections so that a cost advantage was also practically not to beexpected from the material use aspect.

Due to the high volumes in the automotive sector, the manufacturingprocesses for minichannel heat exchangers have become standardized andhave improved so that this technology can today be called mature. Thesoldering furnace size has also increased in the meantime so that heatexchangers can already be produced in the size of approximately 1×2 m.The initial difficulties with the connection system have been remedied.In the meantime, there are a plurality of patented processes on how theinlet tanks and outlet tanks can be soldered in.

However, above all the price of copper, which has increased greatly withrespect to aluminum, has had the result that this technology is alsobecoming very interesting for stationary use.

In addition to the simple systems in which substantially only oneambient medium, such as air, is available to the heat exchanger for theexchange of heat, so-called hybrid coolers or hybrid dry coolers areknown such as are e.g. disclosed in WO90/15299 or in EP 428 647 B1, inwhich the gaseous or liquid medium of the primary cooling circuit to becooled flows through a fin heat exchanger and which output the heat tobe dissipated via the cooling fins to the air flow partly as sensitiveheat and partly as latent heat. One or more fans convey the air flowthrough the heat exchanger and advantageously have variable speeds. Thedissipation of the latent heat takes place by a liquid medium,preferably water, which is matched by its specific values such asconductivity, hardness, carbonate content and is in each case added tothe heat transfer surface on the air side as a drop-forming liquid film.The excess water drips into a collection bowl directly beneath the heatexchanger elements. Sprayed heat exchanger concepts are also known wherewater is sprayed onto the fin heat exchanger and evaporates completelyand in this process the evaporation energy is used for the improvementof the heat transfer as in the wetting for energetic optimization. It isalso possible to work without a water excess here, but a formation ofdeposits has to be prevented, for which purposes e.g. VE water is used.

It is understood that other cooling fluids such as oil can also beconsidered in addition to water in special cases.

The manner of operation in the wetting or spraying of the fins of theheat exchanger results in substantial energy and water savings incomparison with customary methods such as with open cooling towers.However, the restriction in the choice of material of the wetted orsprayed heat exchanger in conjunction with the fin where corrosion maynot occur in connection with an electrolyte is disadvantageous.

Hybrid heat transfer is thus understood as the substantial improvementof the heat transfer of fin heat exchangers with pipes by direct wettingor spraying of water. It is above all necessary in this respect toregulate the air speed in the fin packet so that no taking along ofwater occurs at the fin surface. This is advantageously achieved by aspeed regulation of the fans or by other suitable measures.

It is a disadvantage in this respect that the sprayed or wetting wateracts as an electrolyte together with dissolved ions, which can result innumerous corrosion problems with the usually used material pairings ofcopper pipe and aluminum fins of the heat exchanger.

It is known in this respect e.g. to use so-called cataphoretic dipcoating as a suitable surface protection for heat exchangers.Furthermore, both the material pairings such as copper pipe and copperfin and aluminum pipe and aluminum fin as well as stainless steel pipeand stainless steel fin are used to master the problems of contactcorrosion. It is also known to zinc coat the heat exchangers completely.High demands are made on the quality of the circulation water or spraywater in this respect with regard to the pH values, water hardness,chlorine content, conductivity, etc. to prevent deposits from forming,on the one hand, on condensation on the fin due to evaporation and fromcontents of chemically reactive materials forming which are too high, onthe other hand, which can on their part result in corrosion togetherwith the deposits.

To achieve higher heat transfer capacities than are e.g. known withsmall heat exchangers from automotive engineering or domestictechnology, attempts have previously been made to make use of thepreviously described hybrid technology with larger heat transfersystems.

Another possibility to reach larger heat transfer capacities basicallyinvolves trying to achieve greater exchange rates by interconnection ofa plurality of individual heat exchange components, e.g. by theconnection of Al-MCHX modules.

A problem with all previously known heat exchange systems in thisrespect is the contamination of the system components of the heatexchange system, which can generally not be avoided in the operatingstate. The heat exchangers past which the cooling air is conducted usingcorresponding fans can be contaminated more and more over time bycontaminants of all kinds which are contained in the cooling air, whichcan, for example, have the result that the heat transfer coefficient ofthe surface of the heat exchanger is reduced so that the heat transfercapacity is reduced. This can result in increased operating costs or, inextreme cases, the heat exchange systems can no longer provide therequired heat exchange performance at all, which in worst case scenarioscan result in serious damage. For example, that a connected machine tobe cooled such as a data processing systems or an internal combustionengine or another machine overheats and is thereby damaged. But alsoproducts such as to foodstuffs which are stored in a cold store can gooff, for example, with deficient refrigerating.

The heat exchange systems must therefore be cleaned regularly, which is,however, difficult and thus complex and expensive in the known systems.It is furthermore necessary in many known heat exchange systems to opena housing in order e.g. to clean the heat exchanger itself or to cleanother major components in the interior of the heat exchanger. Theopening of the housings is therefore not only complex and awkward. Inthis case, the corresponding connected heat engines also have to betaken out of operation since otherwise an opening of the housing of theheat exchange system is not allowed for safety reasons alone or is notpossible at all for technical reasons in the operating state.

A further problem is that the cleaning liquid with which the heatexchange system is cleaned, for example water, water mixed with acleaning agent or another cleaning liquid has to be collected in acomplex and/or expensive manner so that it can be disposed ofprofessionally. As a rule, the cleaning liquid contaminated after thecleaning process may not simply be supplied to the sewers. Correspondingcomplex and/or expensive apparatus, for example, separators, separatechannel systems via which contaminated cleaning liquid is led away andsupplied to a collection point or other separation and collectionsystems known per se are therefore provided in the known heat exchangesystems which not only take up additional space, but are also expensivein construction and in operation.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide an improved heatexchange system which overcomes the problems known from the prior art,which is in particular simple to clean, can preferably also be cleanedin the operating state and with which a contaminated cleaning liquid canbe captured or collected and disposed of simply.

The subjects of the invention satisfying these objects are characterizedby the features of independent claim 1.

The dependent claims relate to particularly advantageous embodiments ofthe invention.

The invention thus relates to a heat exchange system having a heatexchange module including at least one first heat exchange module with aheat exchanger, with an external boundary of the heat exchange modulebeing formed by an inflow surface and an outflow surface such that, forthe exchange of heat between a transport fluid and a heat transfer agentflowing through the heat exchanger in the operating state, the transportfluid can be supplied via the inflow surface to the heat exchangemodule, can be brought into flow contact with the heat exchanger and canbe led away again from the heat exchange module via the outflow surface.In accordance with the invention, in this respect, a cleaning system isprovided with a cleaning flap.

It is thus important for the invention that a cleaning system with acleaning flap is provided in a heat exchange system of the presentinvention, said cleaning flap being able to be opened and closed simplyso that access is provided to the interior of the heat exchange modulewhich allows cleaning and service work, basically even in the operatingstate of the heat exchange system, without having to disassemble theheat exchange system.

In a preferred embodiment, the cleaning system of the present inventionincludes a cleaning opening and/or a dust capturing grid and/or ascraper and/or a washing device whose function is generally known to theskilled person. The heat exchanger can in particular be provided at thecleaning flap and/or the heat exchanger is itself made as a cleaningflap, which in special cases and depending on the application cansubstantially facilitate service and cleaning work.

The cleaning flap is particularly preferably rotatably supported aroundan axis of rotation for the opening of the heat exchange module so thatthe cleaning flap is a collection pan for a cleaning agent in an openedstate. It is thereby possible that a contaminated cleaning agent canautomatically be collected in the collection pan and can be supplied toa professional disposal without further construction measures.

In another embodiment, a first boundary surface of the first heatexchange module is inclined at a presettable angle of inclination withrespect to a second boundary surface of the first heat exchange module.In this respect, the heat exchanger itself can have a supportingfunction on the formation of the heat exchange module; for example, inthat it forms a statically integral construction element of a housing ofthe heat exchange module. This can, for example, be realized in that theheat exchanger itself forms a housing wall of the heat exchanger moduleor in that the housing of the heat exchanger module does not have aboundary wall at all the boundary surfaces of the housing so that theheat exchanger itself satisfies a connecting and stabilizing integralstatic function as a housing component.

In a further simple embodiment, a boundary surface of the heat exchangesystem can be dispensed with at its housing with the omitted housingwall being formed in the installed state of the heat exchange system bya wall of an installation object, in particular by a wall of a housing.

To increase the heat exchange performance, the heat exchange system canin particular be formed from a plurality of heat exchange modules.

Above all, but not only, in those cases in which the heat exchangesystem is formed from a plurality of heat exchange modules, the firstboundary surface of the first heat exchange module can be inclined atthe presettable angle of inclination with respect to the second boundarysurface of the first heat exchange module such that the modular heatexchange system can be expanded by a second heat exchange module, inparticular in compact construction, with the second heat exchange modulepreferably being identical to the first heat exchange module. Forexample, a heat exchange system can thus be provided by two heatexchange modules which are triangular in cross-section and whose firstand second boundary surfaces are inclined at 45° to one another, saidheat exchange system having a rectangular or square cross-sectionsurface in that the two inclined surfaces are arranged against oneanother.

The angle of inclination between the first boundary surface and thesecond boundary surface of the heat exchange module is in this respectbetween 0° and 180°, specifically between 20° and 70°, preferablybetween 40° and 50°, and particularly preferably amounts to 45°.

If, for example, the heat exchange modules are therefore made in theform of a parallelepiped having an angle of inclination of 45°, tworespective such heat exchange modules can be assembled in a particularlycompact manner, e.g. via the inclined surfaces, and can also, ifrequired, be expanded as desired by being strung next to one another.

The heat transfer capacity and/or the power density of the heat transfercan thus be matched in a simple and efficient manner by a modular heattransfer system of the present invention by the regular repetition ofpreferably identical heat exchange modules or by the removal ofidentical heat exchange modules.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the first boundary surface ofthe first heat exchange module is thus inclined at the presettable angleof inclination with respect to the second boundary surface of the firstexchange module such that the modular heat exchange system can beexpanded by a second heat exchange module, in particular in a compactconstruction shape, with the second heat exchange module preferablybeing identical to the first heat exchange module. In this respect,compact construction shape means that two heat exchange modules can becombined with one another in as space saving a manner as possible sothat as little free space as possible, preferably practically no freespace at all, remains between two combined heat exchange modules.

A particularly important significance thus accrues to those embodimentsin accordance with the invention in which the heat exchange system isformed from a plurality of heat exchange modules since the heat transfercapacity can be reduced particularly simply in them, for example, byremoval of a heat exchange module.

For the further increase of the power density of the heat transferbetween the heat transfer agent and the transport fluid and/or for theincrease of a heat transfer capacity between the heat transfer agent andthe transport fluid, a cooling device can be provided for the cooling ofthe heat exchanger, in particular a fan for the generation of a gasflow, and/or the heat exchange system can, as known per se and asinitially described in detail, be made as a hybrid system, and asprinkling device can be formed for the sprinkling of the heat exchangerwith a cooling fluid, in particular with cooling water. In this respect,a drop separator can also particularly advantageously be provided forthe separation of the cooling fluid.

In this respect, the heat exchanger itself, as known per se from theprior art, can be made by a plurality of microchannels as a microchannelheat exchanger and/or the heat exchanger can also be made as a finnedheat exchanger with cooling fins. Specifically, the heat exchange systemis made as a combination heat exchange system of the finned heatexchanger and the microchannel heat exchanger if specific demands prefersuch a construction shape.

To improve the possibilities of regulating the heat transfer capacity ofa heat exchange system in accordance with the invention, a sealing, inparticular an air sealing, can be provided for the regulation of a flowrate of the transport fluid which can be controlled and/or regulatedeither manually or via a control unit in dependence on a presettableoperating parameter.

Furthermore, a compensation means known per se can very advantageouslyalso be provided for the compensation of thermomechanical strains.

The components of the modular heat exchange system of the presentinvention, that is, for example, the heat exchangers and/or a supplyline and/or an outlet line for the heat transfer agent and/or thecleaning flap and/or any other component of a heat exchanger system, canbe connected by a universal connection element to every other componentof the heat exchange system so that, for example, a heat exchange modulecan be added or removed particularly easily. Specifically, the cleaningflap and the inlet tanks and outlet tanks for the heat transfer agent oralso sheet metal parts and other modules and components of the heatexchange system are particularly preferably connected to a universalconnection element. In this respect, these universal connection elementsare particularly well suited both for the vertical installation and forthe horizontal installation of the heat exchange systems or of the heatexchange modules.

As a rule, but not necessarily, a control unit, in particular a controlunit having a data processing system for the control of the coolingdevice and/or of the cleaning system and/or of the air sealing and/or ofan operating or state parameter of the heat transfer agent and/or ofanother operating parameter of the heat exchange system is provided forthe control and/or regulation of the heat exchange system, such as isknown to the skilled person per se from the prior art with existing heatexchange systems.

The heat exchange system or the heat exchange module and/or the heatexchanger and/or a boundary surface of the heat exchange module,specifically the total heat exchange system, is particularlyadvantageously produced from a metal and/or a metal alloy, in particularfrom a single alloy, and can in particular be produced from stainlesssteel, specifically from aluminum or from an aluminum alloy, with asacrificial metal preferably being provided as corrosion protectionand/or with the heat exchange system being at least partly provided witha protective layer, in particular with a corrosion protective layer.Particularly the inlet tanks and outlet tanks are preferably producedfor high pressures, for example for operation with CO₂, from very strongmaterials such as stainless steel.

A heat exchange system in accordance with the invention is specificallya radiator, in particular a radiator for a vehicle, specifically for aland vehicle, for an aircraft or for a water vehicle, or a cooler, acapacitor or an evaporator for a mobile or stationary heating plant,refrigerating plant or air-conditioning plant, in particular a coolerapparatus for a machine, a data processing system or for a building orfor another apparatus which can be operated with a heat exchange system.

The invention will be explained in more detail in the following withreference to the drawing. There are shown in a schematic representation:

FIG. 1 a a first embodiment of a heat exchange system in accordance withthe invention in the operating state;

FIG. 1 b the heat exchange system of FIG. 1 a during a cleaning process;

FIG. 2 a heat exchanger having microchannels;

FIG. 3 an element of a finned heat exchanger;

FIG. 4 a second embodiment of a heat exchange system in accordance withthe invention with a lateral cleaning flap;

FIG. 5 a further embodiment in accordance with FIG. 4 with air sealing;

FIG. 6 a another embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1 a with a universalconnection element;

FIG. 6 b a universal connection element of FIG. 6 a in detail;

FIG. 7 a heat exchange system in accordance with the invention with twoheat exchange modules.

FIG. 1 a and FIG. 1 b show in a schematic representation a first simpleembodiment of a heat exchange system in accordance with the inventionwhich is provided as a whole with the reference numeral 1 in thefollowing. In this respect, the heat exchange system is shown in theoperating state in FIG. 1 a, whereas FIG. 1 b shows the same heatexchange system during a cleaning process.

The heat exchange system 1 in accordance with the invention of FIG. 1 aor FIG. 1 b includes as a major element a heat exchange module 2, 21having a heat exchanger 3 for the exchange of heat between a heat agent6, e.g. a cooling liquid 6 or an evaporating agent 6, and a transportfluid 5, e.g. air 5. The heat exchanger 3 in the present case is amicrochannel heat exchanger 3 known per se with a plurality ofmicrochannels 31. The microchannels 31 of the heat exchanger 3 areconnected via a connection system, which is not shown in FIG. 1 a andFIG. 1 b and which is generally known to the skilled person, to arefrigeration machine, likewise not shown, for the exchange of heattransfer agent 6.

The refrigeration machine is flow connected in a manner known per se tothe connection system, including an inlet channel with an inlet segmentof the heat exchanger 3 and an outlet channel with an outlet segment ofthe heat exchanger 3, such that the heat transfer agent 6 for theexchange of heat with the air 5 can be supplied from the inlet channelvia the inlet segment, through the plurality of microchannels 31 of theheat exchanger 3 and finally via the outlet segment to the outletchannel .

An outer boundary of the heat exchange module 2, 21 is in this respectformed by an inflow surface 41 and an outflow surface 42 such that inthe operating state for the exchange of heat between the transport fluid5, whose flow direction is shown symbolically by the arrows 5, and theheat transfer agent 6 flowing through the heat exchanger 3, thetransport fluid 5 can be supplied to the heat exchange module 2, 21 viathe inflow surface 41, can be brought into flow contact with the heatexchanger 3 and can be led away again from the heat exchange module 2,21 via the outflow surface 42.

So that the heat can be exchanged better between the air 5 and the heattransfer agent 6, a cooling device 10 is additionally provided, in thepresent case a fan 10, with which a quantity of air 5 can be controlledwhich is conveyed through the heat exchange module 2, 21 per time unit.

In this respect, a first boundary surface 9, 91, which is formed in thepresent case by the heat exchanger 3 itself, is inclined with respect toa second boundary surface 9, 92 of the first heat exchange module 2, 21at a presettable angle of inclination a which amounts to approximately45° in the present specific example. It is understood that in anotherembodiment the angle of inclination a can also have a different value,e.g. a value greater or smaller than 45°, e.g., but not only, 25° or46°. In the simple embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1, in thisrespect, the second boundary surface 92 is formed by a wall 9 of aninstallation object which in the present case is a cold store not shownin any more detail.

In accordance with the present invention, a cleaning system 7 with acleaning flap 71 is furthermore provided as a major element, with FIG. 1a showing the heat exchange system 1 in the operating state in which theinterior, in particular the surface of the heat exchanger 3, graduallybecomes dirty. FIG. 1 b, in contrast, shows the heat exchange system 1during a cleaning process.

The cleaning flap 71 is designed as an access flap 71 which is maderotatable around the axis of rotation 711 in accordance with the arrow Pso that access is provided by a pivoting of the cleaning flap 71 aroundthe axis of rotation 711, which can be made as a universal connectionelement 12, for example, said access enabling service and repair andcleaning work simply in the interior without the heat exchange system 1having to be disassembled or, depending on the specific embodiment,without the heat exchange system having to be switched off. This meansthat since the cleaning flap can also be opened simply in the operatingstate, a cleaning of the heat exchange system 1 is also possible in theoperating state by the present invention.

FIG. 1 b shows a situation in which the heat exchanger 3 is just beingcleaned with a cleaning liquid 714, for example with water 714. Thecleaning flap 71 was pivoted, starting from the situation of FIG. 1 a,by 270° around the axis of rotation 711 such that it acts, in accordancewith FIG. 1 b, as a collection pan 712 which reliably collects thecontaminated cleaning liquid 714 during the cleaning process so that thecontaminated cleaning liquid can be led away and disposed off safely,and optionally automatically, so that damage to the environment isavoidable, for example.

A heat exchanger 3, 300 in accordance with FIG. 1 with microchannels 31is shown schematically in section in FIG. 2. Instead of small pipes suchas are used in the classical finned heat exchangers 3 in accordance withFIG. 3, as already mentioned, extruded aluminum sections are e.g. usedin minichannel heat exchangers 300 which have very many small channels31 with a diameter of e.g. approximately 1 mm. The heat exchanger 3 ofFIG. 2 can e.g. be manufactured simply in a variety of shapes from aplurality of materials in a suitable extrusion process. In this respect,the heat exchanger 3 in accordance with FIG. 2 can also be manufacturedin another embodiment variant not explicitly shown in FIG. 2, by othermanufacturing processes such as e.g. by the assembly of suitably shapedsheet metal sections or by other suitable processes.

In contrast to FIG. 2, FIG. 3 shows an element of a finned heatexchanger 3, 301 known per se with cooling fins 32 such as couldlikewise be used instead of a microchannel heat exchanger 300 in anembodiment of the present invention. The heat transfer agent 6 flowsthrough the tubular element of the finned heat exchanger 3, 301 which,in the operating state, mainly exchanges heat via the cooling fins 32with the air 5 flowing past. It is understood that in practice the heatexchanger 3 is as a rule made from a plurality of elements in accordancewith FIG. 3. In a very special embodiment of the present invention,which is not shown explicitly with reference to a drawing for spacereasons, a combination heat exchanger 3, 300 301 is used as the heatexchanger 3. This means that a heat exchange system 1 of the presentinvention can simultaneously include, in addition to a heat exchanger300 with a plurality of microchannels 31, a finned heat exchanger 301with cooling fins 32 for very special applications.

To cope with any even larger heat transfer capacities, the heat exchangesystem 1 can also be made as a so-called hybrid system 1 whosefunctional principle is likewise known to the skilled person per se andtherefore does not have to be shown explicitly with reference to aseparate drawing. In this case, a sprinkling device is preferablyprovided for the sprinkling of the heat exchanger 3, 300, 301 with anexternal cooling fluid, in particular with cooling water or cooling oil.Specifically, a drop separator can additionally be provided e.g. in theform of a pan for the separation and collection of the external coolingfluid in the operating state so that the external cooling fluid can berecycled in an external cooling system which serves for the cooling ofthe external cooling fluid and can be supplied to the heat exchanger 3,300, 301 again via the sprinkling system for the repeat cooling of theheat exchanger.

A second embodiment of a heat exchange system 1 in accordance with theinvention is shown schematically with a lateral cleaning flap 71 in FIG.4. The embodiment of FIG. 4 differs in this respect from that of FIG. 1a in that the cleaning flap 71 is provided laterally in accordance withthe invention at the heat exchange module 2, 21, i.e. the cleaning flap71 is representation orthogonally to the surface of the heat exchanger3. To keep the total construction shape of the heat exchange module 2,21 as compact as possible, the cleaning flap 71 only covers thecross-section of the heat exchange module, from which the showntriangular shape of the cleaning flap 71 results. In the cleaning orservice case, the cleaning flap 71 can be pivoted around the axis ofrotation 711 in the direction of the arrow P to open the heat exchangesystem 1, whereby access is provided to the interior of the heatexchange system 1.

A collection pan 73 is additionally provided in the example of FIG. 4,which can naturally also be omitted if not necessary, for the collectionand reliable leading away of the leaning liquid 713 which arises on acleaning of the heat exchange system 1.

A further embodiment in accordance with FIG. 4 is shown schematicallywith an air sealing 11 in FIG. 5. The air sealing 11 is preferably madein the form of a sun blind or of a Venetian blind, including individualsun blind elements 111 or Venetian blind elements 111, so that thedegree of covering of the heat exchanger 3 can be changed variably,preferably in electronically controlled and/or regulated form, in thatthe air sealing is removed in a known manner, wholly or partly forexample, from the surface of the heat exchanger 3 by gathering togetherthe individual sun blind elements 111 or Venetian blind elements 111 orin that an angle between the individual Venetian blind elements 111 andthe surface of the heat exchanger 3 is changed so that the effectivepassage area for the air 5 can be varied. A regulation of the heatexchange performance of the heat exchanger 3 is thereby possible in asimple manner without changing the flow dynamics in the cooling system.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a further possible variant is additionallyshown for a lateral cleaning flap 71 in accordance with FIG. 4. Incontrast to the lateral cleaning flap 71 of FIG. 4 which has atriangular shape, the cleaning flap 71 of FIG. 5 is made rectangular orsquare such that it approximately covers twice the cross-sectionalsurface of the heat exchange module 2, 21 and is supported rotatably by270° around the axis of rotation 711 such that it can simultaneously beused, analog to the embodiment of FIG. 1 b as a collection pan 712 forthe cleaning agent 713 during a cleaning process.

Another embodiment of a heat exchange system 1 in accordance with theinvention is shown schematically in FIG. 6 a in which the cleaning flap71 is fastened to a universal connection element 12 in accordance withFIG. 6 b. The universal connection element 12 is inter alia suitable forthe simple and reliable connection of inlet tanks and outlet tanks knownper se and not shown explicitly in FIGS. 6 a and 6 b which serve for thesupply or leading away of the heat transfer agent 6 to or from the heatexchanger 3 respectively.

The universal connection element 12 is preferably designed such that itcan be connected to the corresponding parts of the heat exchange system1 particularly simply via a screw connection, for example, or bysoldering.

It can serve for the connection of lines which conduct heat transferagent 6 or can even itself be suitable as a line for the conveying ofheat transfer agent 6. It can furthermore be suitable for the connectionof sheet metal parts such as the cleaning flap 71 or other parts. In agiven modular heat exchange system 1, the universal connection element12 is preferably made in detail such that it can provide as manydifferent connections as possible simultaneously in one and the sameembodiment so that as few differently made universal connection elementsas possible have to be used simultaneously in one and the same modularheat exchange system 1.

In the ideal case, the universal connection element 12 is made such thatit can simultaneously take over all connection functions between allparts of the modular heat exchange system so that only one single typeof universal connection element has to be used in one and the same heatexchange system 1, which hugely simplifies the structure, the expansionor the reduction of a modular heat exchange system 1 in accordance withthe invention and thus guarantees very high flexibility of the system.

FIG. 7 finally shows a modular heat exchange system 1 in accordance withthe present invention which includes two identical heat exchange modules2, 21, 22. The two modules are of identical construction shape, with theangle of inclination α having a value of preferably, but notnecessarily, 45°. The skilled person will immediately understand thatbasically any desired number of identical heat exchange modules 2, 21,22 can be added perpendicular to the double arrow DP, that is parallelto the plane of the drawing. This means that only one single type ofheat exchange modules 2, 21, 22 has to be provided to change the heatexchange performance of the modular heat exchange system 1 to provide asystem 1 with practically any desired presettable heat exchangeperformance or to expand it or to reduce the heat exchange performancein an existing system by a reduction of the number of the heat exchangemodules 2, 21, 22. The individual heat exchange modules 2, 21, 22 areparticularly preferably integrated in the heat exchange system 1 by useof the universal connection elements 12, as was already discussed withreference to FIG. 6 a and FIG. 6 b. Analog to FIG. 1 a or FIG. 1 b, thetwo cleaning flaps 71 are preferably each pivotable by 270° around theaxes of rotation for service and cleaning purposes so that the cleaningflaps 71, as already explained a multiple of times above, cansimultaneously serve as a collection pan 712 for a cleaning agent 713.

It is understood that the embodiments described within the framework ofthis application are only to be understood as examples. This means thatthe invention is not solely restricted to the specific embodimentsdescribed. All suitable combinations of the presented embodiments are inparticular likewise covered by the invention.

1. A heat exchange system having a heat exchange module (2, 21, 22)including at least one first heat exchange module (21) with a heatexchanger (3), wherein an outer boundary of the heat exchange module (2,21, 22) is formed by an inflow surface (41) and an outflow surface (42)such that, for the exchange of heat between a transport fluid (5) and aheat transfer agent (6) flowing through the heat exchanger (3) in theoperating state, the transport fluid (5) can be supplied to the heatexchange module (2, 21, 22) via the inflow surface (41), can be broughtinto flow contact with the heat exchanger (3) and can be led away againfrom the heat exchange module (2) again via the outflow surface (42),characterized in that a cleaning system (7) with a cleaning flap (71) isprovided.
 2. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, whereinthe cleaning system (7) includes a dust capturing grid and/or a scraperand/or a washing device, in particular a cleaning opening (72); and/orwherein the heat exchanger (3) is provided at the cleaning flap (71)and/or the heat exchanger (3) is made as a cleaning flap (71).
 3. A heatexchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cleaning flap(71) is rotatably supported around an axis of rotation (711) for theopening of the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22) so that the cleaningflap (71) is a collection pan (712) for a cleaning agent (713) in anopen state.
 4. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1,wherein a first boundary surface (9, 91) of the first heat exchangemodule (2, 21) is inclined at a presettable angle of inclination (□)with respect to a second boundary surface (9, 92) of the first heatexchange module (2, 21).
 5. A heat exchange system in accordance withclaim 1, wherein the heat exchanger (3) has a supporting function in theforming of the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22).
 6. A heat exchangesystem in accordance with claim 1, wherein the heat exchange system isformed from a plurality of heat exchange modules (2, 21, 22).
 7. A heatexchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first boundarysurface (9, 91) of the first heat exchange module (2, 21) is inclined atthe presettable angle of inclination (α) with respect to the secondboundary surface (9, 92) of the first heat exchange module (2, 21) suchthat the modular heat exchange system can be expanded by a second heatexchange module (2, 22), in particular in compact construction shape,with the second heat exchange module (2, 22) preferably being identicalto the first heat exchange module (2, 21).
 8. A heat exchange system inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the angle of inclination (α) betweenthe first boundary surface (9, 91) and the second boundary surface (9,92) of the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22) is between 0° and 180°,specifically between 20° and 70°, preferably between 40° and 50°, andparticularly preferably amounts to 45°.
 9. A heat exchange system inaccordance with claim 1, wherein a boundary surface (9) of the heatexchange system is formed by a wall (9) of an installation object, inparticular by a wall (9) of a building.
 10. A heat exchange system inaccordance with claim 1, wherein a cooling device (10) is provided forthe cooling of the heat exchanger (3), in particular a fan (10) for thegeneration of a gas flow, to increase a heat transfer capacity betweenthe heat transfer agent (6) and the transport fluid (5); and/or whereinthe heat exchange system is made as a hybrid system and a sprinklingdevice is provided for the sprinkling of the heat exchanger (3) with acooling fluid, in particular with cooling water, and/or a drop separatoris provided for the separation of the cooling fluid.
 11. A heat exchangesystem in accordance with claim 1, wherein a sealing (11) is provided,in particular an air sealing (11), for the regulation of a flowthroughrate of the transport fluid (5).
 12. A heat exchange system inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger (3) is formed by aplurality of microchannels (31) as a microchannel heat exchanger (3,300); and/or wherein the heat exchanger is made as a finned heatexchanger (3, 301) with cooling fins (32) and/or the heat exchangesystem is made as a combination heat exchange system of the finned heatexchanger (3, 301) and the microchannel heat exchanger (3, 300).
 13. Aheat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a compensationmeans is provided for the compensation of thermomechanical strains;and/or wherein a universal connection element (12) is provided for theconnection of a component of the heat exchange system.
 14. A heatexchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a control unit, inparticular a control unit with a data processing system for the controlof the cooling device (10) and/or of the cleaning system (7) and/or ofthe air sealing (11) and/or of an operating or state parameter of theheat transfer agent (6) and/or of another operating parameter of theheat exchange system, is/are provided for the control and/or regulationof the heat exchange system in the operating state.
 15. A heat exchangesystem in accordance with claim 1, wherein the heat exchange module (2,21, 22) and/or the heat exchanger (3) and/or a boundary surface (9, 91,92) of the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22), specifically the whole heatexchange system, is/are made of a metal and/or of a metal alloy, inparticular of a single metal or of a single metal alloy, in particularof stainless steel, specifically of aluminum or of an aluminum alloywith a sacrificial metal preferably being provided as corrosionprotection and/or with the heat exchange system being provided at leastpartly with a protection layer, in particular with a corrosionprotection layer.
 16. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1,wherein the heat exchange system is a radiator, in particular a radiatorfor a vehicle, specifically for a land vehicle, for an aircraft or for awater vehicle, or is a cooler, a capacitor or an evaporator for a mobileor stationary heating system, a cooling system or an air-conditioningsystem, in particular a cooler apparatus for a machine, for a dataprocessing system or for a building.